The play is set to be in St. Louis, Missouri, During the Great Depression. It deals with the troubled relationship between an aging mother, Amanda Wingfield, and her painfully shy daughter Laura Wingfield. Tom, the narrator, is full of contradiction, he reads literature, writes poetry, and dreams of escape, adventure, and higher things and at the same time he seems forced to the poor and petty world of the Wingfield. Tom breaks "fourth wall" of naturalistic drama by addressing the audience directly. The idea of the play is that of image vs. reality. Amanda has he on view of the world and of gentlemen callers, which isn’t a reality in St. Louis. Laura has her own view on this. The glass menagerie is the most important symbol for Laura and her fragility. The idea of a gentleman caller becomes Amanda's obsession because it gives hope for the Wingfields to attain financial security. Tom becomes fascinated with the movies and the magician shows because he has a need for fantasy and escapism.
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